A characterization of deep-sea coral and sponge communities in areas of high bycatch in bottom trawls off northern California

"Using an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and towed camera system (TCS), deep-sea corals, sponges, and seafloor habitats were visually surveyed for the first time in areas of longtime trawl fishing off northern California. During an 11-day cruise aboard the R/V Point Sur 8-18 September 2014, researchers completed 6 dives with the AUV and 9 deployments of the TCS, and spent over 42 hours underwater at depths of 586-1169 meters from the Oregon- California border to the Mendocino Ridge (...) This report provides a summary of the methods and results from these underwater surveys of DSC&S off northern California. This was a collaborative effort among investigators from NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Northwest Fisheries Science Center [NWFSC], Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center [PIFSC], and Alaska Fisheries Science Center [AFSC]) and several universities including California State University (Humboldt State University and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories), University of California Santa Cruz, and Oregon State University"--Page 1. [doi:10.7289/V5/TM-SWFSC-556 (http://dx.doi.org/10.7289/V5/TM-SWFSC-556)]